Northern Kansas – Page 7 – Kansas Preservation Alliance & Abandoned Atlas Foundation

Awards of Excellence:
Mahaska High School

Year(s) Listed: • 2008 | City/Town: • Mahaska

Mahaska Housing Partnership, LP, owner; Steve Foutch, Gastinger Walker Harden Architects. Designed in the Collegiate Gothic Revival style opening in 1926 and closing ca. 1955. Built during the Progressive Movement of school building (1910s-1930s) in the northwestern corner of Washington County, near the center of a local agricultural trade center on the former Chicago, Rock …

Endangered:
Kansas Barns

Year(s) Listed: • 2007 • 2008 | City/Town: • Central Kansas • Eastern Kansas • Northern Kansas • Southern Kansas • Western Kansas

Historic barns are a symbol of Kansas heritage and landscape. Of the first permanent buildings that farm families constructed, barns served a variety of functions integral to the survival and success of farms. By examining the various construction techniques and materials that were used, these vernacular buildings help to tell the history of Kansas. Vacancy, …

Endangered:
Bethany Place Landscape

Year(s) Listed: • 2007 • 2008 | City/Town: • Topeka

This year’s list includes eight historic places, including the Bethany Place Landscape in Topeka, Kansas. Started in the 1860s as the College of the Sisters of Bethany, Bethany Place was the first women’s college in Kansas. Georgia Neese Gray, the first female US Treasurer is one of the college’s most notable alumnae. The present day campus still retains …

Endangered:
Kansas Homesteads

Year(s) Listed: • 2007 • 2008 | City/Town: • Central Kansas • Eastern Kansas • Northern Kansas • Southern Kansas • Western Kansas

The Homestead Act of 1862 made much of Kansas available for settlement. The Act provided farmers with 160 acres of land, provided they would live on the land for five years and improve it. Many of these settlers began in sod houses and then built frame or stone buildings depending on available local materials. Most …

Awards of Excellence:
Fort Larned Old Guard

Year(s) Listed: • 2007 | City/Town: • Woodston

The Indian Village on Pawnee Fork is an archeological site that was the location of a Cheyenne camp during the winter of 1866-67. The village was the location of a confrontation between the Indians and the U.S. Army that had implications far beyond the Pawnee River Valley. Locating the Indian Village on Pawnee Fork took …

Endangered:
Barnes State Bank

Year(s) Listed: • 2006 | City/Town: • Barnes

Barnes was established in 1872 and had a fine reputation for its banks. The Barnes State Bank was built in 1911 and was unfortunate enough to be robbed twice. The bank become insolvent in 1924 and the building served many other uses since that time. The Barnes State Bank building is a part of the …

Endangered:
Historic Wood Windows

Year(s) Listed: • 2006 | City/Town: • Central Kansas • Eastern Kansas • Northern Kansas • Southern Kansas • Western Kansas

This is a thematic nomination aimed at bringing attention to the nationwide problem of the loss of original wood sash windows. Many homeowners are replacing wood windows with vinyl windows under the false idea that they are more energy efficient. Due to the high quality of materials and craftsmanship, however, the original wood windows can …

Endangered:
Kenneth Smith Home

Year(s) Listed: • 2006 | City/Town: • Shawnee

Kenneth Smith was the first American golf club manufacturer. His golf clubs were coveted by heads of state and famous celebrities. Kenneth Smith acquired his stone house in 1932, but the home was actually built by one of the founding members of Shawnee, John Garrett, a stonemason. The home dates to around 1870 with additions …

Endangered:
Constitution Hall Topeka

Year(s) Listed: • 2006 | City/Town: • Topeka

Located on Kansas Avenue in downtown Topeka, the original 1855 construction of Constitution Hall is hidden behind a 20th century façade. Under construction in 1855 as a commercial building, it was turned into Constitution Hall before it was completed as the need for a meeting place for the free-state legislature was urgent. The activities and events …

Endangered:
Republic Hotel/Collins Building

Year(s) Listed: • 2005 | City/Town: • Belleville

Nominated by Belleville Main Street, Inc., this 1886 brick and timber framed structure was once a bustling railroad hotel located just off the town square in downtown Belleville. Belleville has often been referred to as the Crossroads of America, as it sits at the juncture of Highways 36 and 81. The twenty-two hotel rooms on …

City: Northern Kansas